xjocelyn Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 Hi, I decided to join this forum since my family recently decided to have a Siberian Husky. She's 8-9 weeks old, and she's really energetic. I also have 3 chihuahuas and I'm working on getting them to get along without problems. I've prepared and educated myself so I can be able to take care of her properly. I've realized a few things; 1. Is it a good idea to let my husky play with toys that resemble a real animal? For example, we have a dog toy that's a slingshot-like chicken. As you throw the toy, it makes a noise a chicken would. Since Husky's have a prey instinct, would it only make her want to "prey" or play really rough with my chihuahuas or any small other animal? Also, my family wanted to feed her chicken, or things that she begs for around the table. I know that it's not a good or healthy thing but they don't understand. If she eats human food at this age, will it do her any damage? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tams Teeko and Keeta Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 Welcome! You've come to the right place and people here have experience ranging from decades to months. (i am in the shorter category, my oldest boy is just over a year so I only ever write from personal experience really). That said...human food...bad plan. It teaches them to beg, which isn't good, but there are also some foods that are very bad for them...things you wouldn't expect. There is a thread here somewhere about good and bad foods. Have a dig about, its vey useful. If you do want to save them a piece of chicken from you sunday dinner...always make sure that you give it to them in their own bowl. Feeding from the table will cause sooo many problems later on (and huskies are lil buggers for counter surfing!). Prey instinct....again this is from personal experience only. My 2 dont exhibit a hugely OTT prey drive as they have both been raised around my 2 rabbits. I know that there will always be a risk but as yet neither have shown interest in eating them! Only in eating their food. Patience and consistency are key. As for the rubber chicken toys...no idea...those things freak me out so I wont have them, lol! Again, welcome and....where are your pics? :-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xjocelyn Posted January 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 She's my profile picture but I will add more pictures as soon as I get to uploading them. As long as she is raised with small animals or the animals that she'll live with, there's a chance that she won't hurt small animals, correct? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tams Teeko and Keeta Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 The way I have to look at it...as the rabbits came first....is to train the dogs that they are friends not food. I don't encourage chasing small furries out and about as I don't think that's any way to behave on the lead so they don't generally seem too fussed (either that or they're a bit dim. I have seen teeko get walloped in the side of the head by a pheasant that he just didnt even see!) What you'll have to remember, and this is the same with most dogs, is that dogs eat little animals....dog sees small animal, small animal = food. So, there is always going to be a risk. But, you can train to reduce the risk, just cant remove it. Is it a concern for your small dogs or just general concern for animals in your area? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xjocelyn Posted January 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 It's a concern for my small dogs, not so concerned with the area since there isn't stray cats or animals of any sort. When I let her free play with my smallest dog, she nips her in a playful way, but my small dog takes it as a start to a fight and she growls and wants to nip back. I've separated them when I'm not around, but of course when I am around I really watch her actions and reactions for future reference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tams Teeko and Keeta Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 It's a concern for my small dogs, not so concerned with the area since there isn't stray cats or animals of any sort. When I let her free play with my smallest dog, she nips her in a playful way, but my small dog takes it as a start to a fight and she growls and wants to nip back. I've separated them when I'm not around, but of course when I am around I really watch her actions and reactions for future reference. Both the small dogs and your husky will have to learn how to play as huskies play very rough. This can sometimes be seen as starting a fight. With time, and your help, she'll learn how far she can go. Maybe try teaching them to play together with a toy? There is someone here who has a chihuaha with huskies but I can't tag as i'm on my phone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xjocelyn Posted January 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2012 I'll definitely start working on teaching them both what's right and what's wrong. I was thinking of enrolling her in a class but seems like I can work on her with those issues instead of wasting money when I can do it myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bec Posted January 17, 2012 Report Share Posted January 17, 2012 I'll definitely start working on teaching them both what's right and what's wrong. I was thinking of enrolling her in a class but seems like I can work on her with those issues instead of wasting money when I can do it myself. There are loads of benefits to going to a good class, though. It's a great opportunity for your puppy to learn how to focus on your when other dogs are around, which is an important part of socialisation. It allows you to socialise your puppy in a controlled environment and at the end of the day, even the best trainers don't know everything, we are all learning ALL the time! I never knock down an opportunity to learn new things. Most pet owners who 'go it alone' end up coming for training down the track when problems have gotten out of control. I have a nine year old Siberian Husky who has lived happily with my chihuahua cross since he was eight weeks old. I actually encourage his prey drive and play with him lots, if your pup has as decent prey drive it will show itself regardless of if you let him play with toys. IMO it's always better to teach your puppy you give prey rewards through play with you and training. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sutsibe Posted January 17, 2012 Report Share Posted January 17, 2012 I have had dogs that have gotten along with my cats, some who haven't been properly socialized to cats (when they were young, I only had cats that would run, which triggered the dogs' prey instincts), and a few that it seemed that even at a very young age, no matter what I did, were convinced that the cats were prey. I agree that puppy and obedience classes are very helpful - not only is it a good place to socialize your pup, they are more about training people to communicate what behaviors they want their dogs to do effectively. We on the forums can give advise, but a trainer there with you can actually see what you are doing, what your dog is doing, and the communication between you, and can help you better, based on what they see. They are more likely to be able to give you instant feedback, based on what they see at the moment and what they know, and tweak it as they see how doing something a little differently affects what your dog is doing. As far as the people food goes, as was said earlier, small scraps, if given, should go in the bowl, and especially NOT be given from the table as you are eating - that's a quick way to having a very determined (and sometimes very obnoxious) beggar! Do NOT give cooked bones! Many, especially chicken bones, will splinter, and can cause no end of trouble, necessitating surgery or even causing death - they can perforate the stomach or intestines! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ICE & SHADOW Posted January 17, 2012 Report Share Posted January 17, 2012 Ice's best friend is a neighborhood stray chihuahua. She comes over every morning to play with him . He loves to chase chickens, cats, squirels ect.. But that's when the leash and leave it command comes in to play… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xjocelyn Posted January 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2012 The classes are only 45 minutes long, and $10 each.. seems a little expensive. I'll consider it, though. I keep thinking that if I encourage her to display her prey drive, it'll make her think that my chihuahuas are food for her. They really are small, my smallest chihuahua is probably 12 inches from head to tail. She's really tiny, but she's getting along best with my husky surprisingly. I hope it all goes well tomorrow while I'm gone. I'll remind my family to leave small table scraps in her bowl, that way we don't have a beggar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bec Posted January 17, 2012 Report Share Posted January 17, 2012 The classes are only 45 minutes long, and $10 each.. seems a little expensive. I'll consider it, though. I keep thinking that if I encourage her to display her prey drive, it'll make her think that my chihuahuas are food for her. That is actually pretty cheap for a training class. A good trainer one on one will cost you hundreds If you train your dog to get prey drive satisfaction from you, it will actually give you more control of your dog, not less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xjocelyn Posted January 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2012 Now that I think of it, I think it will benefit her. It's not exactly a training class, but socializing a puppy with other dogs/people. Here's what it says on the website. "Puppy Playtime is designed to help every puppy get off to the best possible start. Your puppy will play, romp, interact and socialize with other puppies and people. You will learn about body language, what is appropriate play and when to intervene. The class is supervised by a certified trainer ready to answer any of your puppy concerns!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ICE & SHADOW Posted January 18, 2012 Report Share Posted January 18, 2012 1. Is it a good idea to let my husky play with toys that resemble a real animal? For example, we have a dog toy that's a slingshot-like chicken. As you throw the toy, it makes a noise a chicken would. Since Husky's have a prey instinct, would it only make her want to "prey" or play really rough with my chihuahuas or any small other animal? ? This is what Ice does to them Chiuaua things : [ATTACH]35398[/ATTACH] just kidding [ATTACH]35402[/ATTACH] That's the neighboor hood stray I was talking about.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xjocelyn Posted January 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2012 Awww! That's nice. I hope Saria gets along with my chihuahuas like Ice does, it's beginning to concern me.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon&Sophia Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 prey drive isnt always neccesarily a bad thing, you can take advantage of it in aid of recall training Ive found that my Qilaq knows the difference between small dogs, and "prey" so you shouldnt see much of a problem if you persist with socialisng them and let your sibe know the rules when they play together Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xjocelyn Posted January 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 I find it a bit more challenging since my chihuahuas think that she'll hurt them- which I'm sure she won't do, since she's just a puppy and she just wants to play. I'm hoping that by time they'll get along.. maybe it would greatly help if I did sign her up for classes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon&Sophia Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 I find it a bit more challenging since my chihuahuas think that she'll hurt them- which I'm sure she won't do, since she's just a puppy and she just wants to play. I'm hoping that by time they'll get along.. maybe it would greatly help if I did sign her up for classes. she should know how rough to play with them... if she gets too rough, theyll let her know about it lol. We have a pomeranian and he always let Qilaq know when she was playing too rough and she did learn from it. But yeah, i can imagine puppy classes could only help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bec Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 Micha my Sibe is very good with our 13 year old chi x - they have been together since he was eight weeks old YveGLYoAMpo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heatherp438 Posted January 23, 2012 Report Share Posted January 23, 2012 good question! I was wondering the same thing for my pug. I am hoping that they will get used to each other. The pug has never really had a chance to be around other dogs. We live out in the country and there aren't dog parks in our area. He is very friendly though, so I am hoping he will take to the husky after a few days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xjocelyn Posted January 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2012 My chihuahuas have been exposed to dogs the same size as them, or only a little, but nothing as big as my husky that seems to be growing every day! I'm hoping as well that with time, they'll learn to live with each other and play without a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormchaser09 Posted January 23, 2012 Report Share Posted January 23, 2012 I don't have little dogs but I do have a cat, my husky likes to sniff and shows reasonable interest in the cat but the cat grew up around large dogs and is totally unfazed by the attention, however if the cat does run it's a completely different story and Storm immediately chases. We have stair and baby gates to give the cat time to get out of the way.We always use 'leave it' command if she does chase. I would think little dogs that tend to have big dog syndrome would be less likely to run away and and more likely to face up to the bigger dog and so not trigger the chase response. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SA DA KA Posted January 23, 2012 Report Share Posted January 23, 2012 My chihuahuas have been exposed to dogs the same size as them, or only a little, but nothing as big as my husky that seems to be growing every day! I'm hoping as well that with time, they'll learn to live with each other and play without a problem. Exactly what you said will happen, even with Saria growing they will adapt to her as she will to them because they will all become a pack, with your help. Always treat your first and then your second chihuahua as leaders and your Siberian will follow in. We all love an adorable puppy and it needs your attention right now to mature but still give lots of appraise and attention to the chihuahuas. Good luck and congratulations on your new puppy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xjocelyn Posted January 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2012 Definitely will do that and will encourage my family to do so as well. I haven't been around my chihuahuas in awhile because Saria seems to have separation anxiety. She follows me a lot, and my chihuahuas seem to show no interest in her unless she gets close to them. That's when they begin to bark like there's no tomorrow and I have to put her in my room just so nothing happens. My smallest chihuahua yesterday bit Saria because she thought Saria would hurt her, but it's just rough play for Saria and my chihuahuas will have to adjust with Saria and her way of playing.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xjocelyn Posted January 26, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2012 I'm in the same situation- although we don't live in the country, our dogs rarely went out (since we lived in an apartment) so they aren't really experienced with dogs that are bigger than them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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